BuckeyeClan

Hello! We have the Magellan 200. It's a good unit, and it does the job, BUT it does have some drawbacks. First, it can't be connected to the PC, so you can't download waypoints; you have to do it by hand. Not a big issue for us at this point, but I can see where it would be nice to have. Second, you can't add any maps (road or topo). The basemap it comes loaded with is decent--it shows interstates, state routes, major bodies of water, etc., but don't plan on using it for driving directions. Again, it's not a big deal for us yet, but I can see down the road where I'll be wanting maps, the topos especially. We don't go caching enough at this point to justify getting a new unit, but if it were to meet an untimely demise (say, dropped down a cliff or something ), I wouldn't buy the same unit again. If rock-bottom price is really important, $70 sounds good to me, but at least check out the Magellan 210 first. It CAN be connected to the computer to download waypoints, and you CAN add maps. (It's memory is limited, though, so you can't add the whole U.S. like some units.) I've never used anything but this one, so I really can't do any comparing/contrasting. Good luck!

Y'know, I don't have any rock-climbing experience, and it really burns me up that people would place a cache where rock-climbing is required! And what about those caches 10 miles down a difficult trail? How the heck am I supposed to get to those with 2 little kids in tow?!?! Okay, do you see where I'm going with this? I can TOTALLY understand why some people would be uncomfortable searching for a cache near a playground. But I have 2 small kids, and I would LOVE to hunt a cache near a playground, where I could have one eye on the munchkins, and one eye on possible hiding places. The solution is simple, really--hunt the ones you like, skip the ones you don't! BuckeyeClan

Here's a slight modification of Walt Whitman's O Captain! My Captain! (My deepest and most sincere apologies to Mr. Whitman!) Oh Cachers! My Cachers! Our fearsome trek is done. Our feet have weathered every rock, the prize will soon be won! The cache is near, never fear! The GPS is leading. While follow I the steady arrow to the cache’s bearing. But Oh heart! heart! heart! Oh, the sudden sense of dread! For on the page, it says the cache Is a micro quite well hid! Oh Cachers! My Cachers! Rise up and search things well! Rise up, and search the hollow tree! And search the one that fell! Search the rocks and rotting stumps; Search ev’ry place worth hiding! Search under logs, and sticks, and leaves; Search that poison ivy! Here Cachers! Dear partners! An aspirin for your head. It is some dream that on this quest Our batt’ries have gone dead! My Cachers do not answer, their lips are pale and still. My partners do not hear my voice; they’ve lost their caching will. Our trip is over; we’re safe and sound, back in our cachemobile. We’ll head on home to write a tome about our grave ordeal. Exalt you others! And log your smileys! But I am quite bereft, For the one we couldn’t find— The cache we DNF’d! BuckeyeClan

For the caches you ran out of time for, or DNF'd: "Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back." (The Road Not Taken--Robert Frost) For the "Will caching survive?" crowd: Now we are engaged in a great forum debate, questioning whether that hobby, or any hobby so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. (My apologies, President Lincoln! ) BuckeyeClan

Hubby and I are both from Ohio; his AF career means we move alot, but our Ohio roots, and loyalty to the Ohio State Buckeyes, are a constant. And we cache as a family, hence the "Clan". (And BuckeyeFamily was already taken! ) BuckeyeClan

My favorite way to search for caches is to use the "search with Google maps" feature on the search page. Just type in the city and state or else a zip code, and it will bring up a map of that area. Then use the pan and zoom to narrow in on the park you want. It shows all the cache locations as numbers on the map, with the corresponding cache name in a list beside the map. Click on the name in the list, and the basic cache info appears at the top of the page. Click on that, and the complete cache listing opens. I like this method because it gives me an immediate visual of how many caches there are, and where within the park they are. I've found a couple of parks I'm not sure we would have discovered by this method. I just typed in "Newport News VA", then panned around to find the green spots. Hope this helps! BuckeyeClan

We hunt with our kids, so anything that appeals to them is good. Funny tho, sometimes there's no accounting for taste! I've seen them pass up items that I was sure they would love, to choose something that I never would have expected. Personally, I like when they choose consumables--stickers, rub-on tattoos, craft supplies, etc. Something that they can enjoy, but that doesn't just end up cluttering the toy box! BuckeyeClan

Go Buckeyes!! Only 1 more game to go! BuckeyeClan